You don’t need us to lead you to the top 12 backs — high-usage studs like Christian McCaffrey (@ Raiders in Week 17), Saquon Barkley (vs. Colts), Dalvin Cook (@ Packers), and even Rhamondre Stevenson (vs. Dolphins) remain lineup locks. Sure, ‘Mondre has endured some late-season fumble-itis and Damien Harris (hip) could return this week, but he’s still among the cream of the crop talent-wise and ranks in the top three among RBs in targets.
Travis Etienne Jr. (@ Texans) could be a PPR league-winner against Houston’s league-worst run defense. As Wayne and Garth would say, “excellent!” Also excellent are Cam Akers (@ Chargers) and David Montgomery (@ Lions). L.A. allows the sixth-most fantasy points to RBs, and the Lions got absolutely shredded by the Panthers last week, surrendering a staggering 320 yards on the ground. Both Monty and Khalil Herbert are in play this week.
WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Speaking of favorable matchups, rookie Brian Robinson Jr. (vs. Browns) and Zonovan Knight (@ Seahawks) have great ones. The Browns have allowed a whopping 334 combined rushing yards over the past two weeks, and Seattle has surrendered the second-most PPR points in the NFL this season. That gives B-Rob and Bam a leg up on better PPR commodities like Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette (vs. Panthers) and Jerick McKinnon (vs. Broncos), though all three are still in play as RB2/flexes. If you’re in a deep league, you could even try Antonio Gibson (vs. Browns) and Michael Carter (@ Seahawks) as flexes.
WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Similarly, both Zack Moss and Deon Jackson (vs. Giants) are in play against New York’s 28th-ranked run defense, and both Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson (vs. Cardinals) have upside in PPR leagues. Allgeier, who’s seen 40 touches over the past two weeks, is the preferred play, but Arizona allows the 10th-most fantasy points to RBs, so Patterson (24) can get it on the fun, too. D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams (vs. Bears) also work as RB2s/flexes because of the highly favorable matchup, but as we’ve seen the past few weeks, neither are sure things if they don’t get into the end zone.
WEEK 17 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
The outlook isn’t as bright for committees in Carolina, Green Bay, Buffalo, Kansas City, and Miami. As noted above, we still like McKinnon (vs. Broncos), but Isiah Pacheco has a relatively low ceiling regardless of how bad the Broncos looked last week. We’d be more confident in Aaron Jones if he wasn’t dealing with a sore ankle. Splitting time with AJ Dillon (vs. Vikings) significantly limits his ceiling, even in PPR. Fortunately, you can still take a chance with both in 12-team leagues, but we’re not as confident about Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. (@ Patriots), as they split touches almost equally and have a tougher matchup.
Week 17 DFS: Best values
Devin Singletary and James Cook (vs. Bengals) are in a better spot, as evidenced by the sky-high over/under in that game, but they also eat into each other’s values. Singletary is the preferred play, but neither should be considered more than a flex. Ditto for D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard (@ Buccaneers), as both will have much tougher times this week against a Tampa defense allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to RBs. If you have to play one, go with Foreman, though his floor and ceiling are lower in PPR leagues compared to standard leagues.
WEEK 17 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em
Difficult matchups also apply to Najee Harris (@ Ravens), JK Dobbins (vs. Steelers), Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott (@ Titans), and Miles Sanders (vs. Saints). You’re probably starting any of those five if you own them, but just temper your expectations. If you have two better backs, you might be better off flexing a higher-floor wideout in PPR formats than playing any of these tough calls.
Good luck and Happy New Year! We’ll be updating these RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.
Week 17 fantasy RB PPR rankings
Rankings based on full-point PPR scoring leagues
Rank Player 1 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers @ Raiders 2 Saquon Barkley, Giants vs. Colts 3 Austin Ekeler, Chargers vs. Rams 4 Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ Packers 5 Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars @ Texans 6 Josh Jacobs, Raiders vs. 49ers 7 David Montgomery, Bears @ Lions 8 Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots vs. Dolphins 9 Cam Akers, Rams @ Chargers 10 Nick Chubb, Browns @ Commanders 11 Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks vs. Jets 12 James Conner, Cardinals @ Falcons 13 Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Eagles 14 Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers vs. Panthers 15 Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders vs. Browns 16 Zonovan Knight, Jets @ Seahawks 17 Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Bills 18 Tyler Allgeier, Falcons vs. Cardinals 19 Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys @ Titans 20 Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs vs. Broncos 21 Najee Harris, Steelers @ Ravens 22 Aaron Jones, Packers vs. Vikings 23 Miles Sanders, Eagles vs. Saints 24 D’Andre Swift, Lions vs. Bears 25 Rachaad White, Buccaneers vs. Panthers 26 Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Bears 27 Zack Moss, Colts @ Giants 28 Hassan Haskins, Titans vs. Cowboys 29 Latavius Murray, Broncos @ Chiefs 30 Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs vs. Broncos 31 Devin Singletary, Bills @ Bengals 32 JK Dobbins, Ravens vs. Steelers 33 Khalil Herbert Bears @ Lions 34 Jonathan Williams, Commanders vs. Browns 35 AJ Dillon, Packers vs. Vikings 36 Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons vs. Cardinals 37 Royce Freeman, Texans vs. Jaguars 38 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins @ Patriots 39 James Cook, Bills @ Bengals 40 D’Onta Foreman, Panthers @ Buccaneers 41 Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins @ Patriots 42 Michael Carter, Jets @ Seahawks 43 Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ Buccaneers 44 Deon Jackson, Colts @ Giants 45 Damien Harris, Patriots vs. Dolphins 46 Gus Edwards, Ravens vs. Steelers 47 Dare Ogunbowale, Texans vs. Jaguars 48 Tyrion Davis-Price, 49ers @ Raiders 49 Samaje Perine, Bengals vs. Bills 50 Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Commanders 51 Joshua Kelley Chargers vs. Rams 52 Chase Edmonds, Broncos @ Chiefs 53 Malik Davis, Cowboys @ Titans 54 Julius Chestnut, Titans vs. Cowboys 55 Alexander Mattison, Vikings @ Packers 56 Justin Jackson, Lions vs. Bears 57 Jaylen Warren, Steelers @ Ravens 58 DeeJay Dallas, Seahawks vs. Jets 59 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles vs. Saints 60 Kyren Williams, Rams @ Chargers 61 Ameer Abdullah, Raiders vs. 49ers 62 JaMycal Hasty, Jaguars @ Texans 63 Keaontay Ingram, Cardinals @ Falcons
Week 17 RB PPR fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
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